Still Life with Flowers and Fruit, Jan van Huysum, c. 1728

As his career progressed, Van Huysum produced floral still lifes that were increasingly exuberant. His palette became lighter and more transparent and he set his still lifes against a park-like background. Here the fruit, grapevine and hollyhocks are arranged so loosely and precariously that they risk tumbling from the marble plinth.